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Old 11-03-2009, 03:40 PM   #542
Thinlómien
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Wulfric & Wilheard

Wilheard was rapping the table impatiently. He never felt comfortable indoors for long times, and meetings like this were a pain to him. All the pompous, boring words meaning nothing, his parents' typical lordly waffling and Wulfric looking as self-important as if the King himself had appointed him to clean his shoes of horse dung.

He could not understand why he had been summoned to this meeting. There could be nothing he could contribute to the discussion and nothing he could do, for Mother had told him to hold his tongue and just be quiet and observe so many times that it had really gotten on his nerves and he had had to promise to do so. He had no idea what this pathetic cow-like soldier and the whining - although quite pretty - young babe could give them. He envied Coenred who had been freed from the torment.

He tried to amuse himself by imagining taking a wild ride to the Scar to see the surroundings properly. Unconsciously, he started rapping the table more quickly and loudly to mimick the gallop of his horse.

"Stop that," Wulfric whispered and shoved him with an elbow. Wilheard threw his elder brother a murderous glance.

Wulfric rolled his eyes. He could not understand why Wilheard could not behave. This meeting was boring - that he could wholeheartedly agree on - but they would have time to have fun later. Now they should concentrate on showing the order of things to these peasants. He himself did his best by sitting very stiffly and looking at them as menacingly as he could. He was quite sure he was an authoritarian figure with his broad shoulders and commanding eyes.

The women were talking now about some feminine arrangements. This was surely not important, so Wulfric concentrated studying the features of Lord Eodwine's second-in-comand, Thornden. The man was maybe a few years older than Wulfric himself and had a warrior's aura. Wulfric was yearning to know if he'd beat this peasant on the battlefield.

The man was taller than Wulfric, but not any broader. He would have a few years more experince in the arts of war, but on the other hand, he had surely not had the best teachers and tutors Edoras could offer, unlike Athanar's sons. Wulfric's biggest fault as a fighter - or so had his teachers told him - was underestimating his opponent, so he reminded himself not to make quick judgements, but he just couldn't see himself losing to this peasant. He grinned to himself. He would love to have that fight.

He glanced at his father, rather meaningfully this time. Surely it was time to end this meeting if nothing more important than women's chores remained to be negotiated. Besides, he had to agree with his agonised-looking little brother: this was getting incredibly boring.

~*~

Modtryth

"Now, tell me everything." Frodides's tone was rather authoritarian, and Kara's bright eyes were full of curiousity although she smiled cheerfully at the older woman being so characteristically herself.

Ginna glanced at Modtryth and the dark woman sighed. "Well then, I'll tell you I guess. But what's there to know? You saw them yourselves, I don't have much to add."

Frodides looked as if she was about to protest, and Modtryth, suppressing a laugh, continued before any exclamation was uttered. "Both the lord and his wife seem courteus yet firm inside. I hope they're not going to be any trouble." The women exchanged worried glances.

"I think they were alright," Ginna said soothingly.
Modtryth nodded. "I agree. I'm not so sure about the sons though. They seem a bit too rash and full of themselves to be utterly harmless."
Frodides waved her hand dismissively. "Any kind of idiocy can be whipped out of a child."
Modtryth gave the old cook a slight smile. She knew her well enough to know what exactly she meant. But she was troubled still - it might be that Cnebba or Garmund or Javan would start behaving after a gentle slap, but these two were grown up men. "And the idiocy can only be whipped out if the parents are willing to use the whip..." she muttered, more to herself than to anyone else.

"Did anyone manage to have a look at any of the other new arrivals?" Kara asked after a short and uncomfortable silence.
Modtryth and Ginna shook their heads.
"Well, off you go scouting then!" Frodides said. "Although I wouldn't mind if one of you helped me and Kara with the dinner, it has to be extraordinarily well done today, and there's more to do than normally."
"I'll stay - shall I fetch water?" Ginna asked quickly. She grinned at Modtryth mischeviously.
Modtryth smiled ruefully.
"Coming back with a detailed report, sir," she said in a mock soldier-like manner, bowed stiffly to Frodides and hurried away to have a look at the newcomers with the excuse of helping them unload and arrange stuff.

~*~

Cnebba

"Hey, you two, come give a helping hand!"

Cnebba and Garmund glanced at each other desperately, but they knew there was no way to run away unnoticed. So they nodded sheepishly and walked to Raedwald.

"There seem to be some stuff there. The woman who was organising things around said they should be carried to the main building."

Cnebba and Garmund repeated their sheepish gestures and walked over the wagon. They took a pile of relatively small, neatly packed packages and started walking towards the main building.

Soon Cnebba started having problems. The package he was carrying seemed to be of a difficult shape. "Which way is this supposed to be carried?" he grumbled and shifted, managing to drop a small and elegantly carved wooden comb from the package.

"Oops," he muttered.

Last edited by Thinlómien; 11-03-2009 at 03:50 PM.
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